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Heavy snow is bearing down on west central Wisconsin today.  Four to eight inches of accumulation is expected in and around Eau Claire with areas to the north expected to get even more.  A winter storm warning is in effect in Eau Claire until 9:00 tonight. 

The Rice Lake Fire Department is asking the city council to rethink cutting a full-time firefighter from its staff.  The city council claims that decision was made because of budget issues, but the fire department says it’s been short staffed for months.  Safety is also becoming a concern.  The fire chief says he’s having to schedule more overtime and is concerned about overworking his firefighters.  The fire department will present a proposal to fill a vacant position at next week’s

Wisconsin Representative Ron Kind is proposing to extend tax relief for craft breweries in the Badger State.  The Craft Beverage Act that has been previously enacted to give breweries tax relief is due to expire at the end of the year and Ron Kind was in our area at Lazy Monk to raise a pint to refreshing the measure.  Kind is hoping to renew the act, saying it will help breweries become more competitive domestically and nationally. 

An Eau Claire jeweler is donating thousands of dollars to the Chippewa Falls Girl Scout troop that was impacted by last fall’s deadly hit and run.  Lasker Jewelers announced yesterday a 2018 fundraiser raised about five-thousand-dollars for Troop 3-0-5-5 and it will present the troop a check for the money tomorrow.  Three members of the troop and a parent tragically died in the November accident while doing community service on the side of County Highway P in Lake Hallie. 

Another round of winter weather is expected to make traveling difficult through the weekend.  A Winter Storm Warning is in effect today, with three to eight inches of snow set to fall in the Chippewa Valley.  The heaviest snow will fall west of Eau Claire.  Another system is set to come through over the weekend. 

Results are in from the Eau Claire City Council primary, ten candidates are advancing to the spring election in April.  John Lor received the most votes yesterday, while Echo Reardon and Chandler Lorentz were eliminated from the race.  The Barron City Council primary also took place yesterday, with Paul Solie and Isaak Mohamed advancing in the race.  Faisal Ahmed received the fewest votes and was eliminated. 

The Chippewa County Board is looking to move past a controversy with its chairman.  Jared Zwiefelhofer stepped down from the position after pleading no contest to several hunting violations.  The county board took steps to appoint a replacement at yesterday’s meeting.  Zwiefelhofer will remain on the board and says he’s interested in running for re-election as chair next term. 

The Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds is looking for an exemption from a Chippewa Falls law banning firearms.  An ordinance was first read last night at the City Council meeting that would allow the use of firearms and other weapons at the fairgrounds.  The proposal is being made to support the Wisconsin Game Fest, which includes a controlled youth shooting event. 

A public meeting will be held to discuss the confirmed detection of two wild deer with chronic wasting disease in western Eau Claire County.  DNR staff and WisconsinConservation Congress members will be hosting the meeting February 27th to discuss CWD testing and surveillance.  The meeting will take place at the Rock Creek Town Hall in Rock Falls.

Republican lawmakers in Madison say a new report on the cost of expanding Medicaid in the state shows they were right all along.  State Senator David Craig says the report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty shows that expanding BadgerCare would cost taxpayers in Wisconsin 600-million dollars.  Craig says Democratic claims that an expansion would be a good deal for the state are ‘laughable.’  Wisconsin’s new governor is promising not to end the popular voucher program that allows a lot of kids